Customer Reviews

Mourmourika: Songs of the Greek Underworld

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4 star:		(1)
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I met Nick Pourpourakis, the composer of the last song on this CD, "The Sultan", 15 years ago. In his heyday he was one of the most talented and most popular of Greek Musicians here in the United States. His speciality is "Rembetiko" style music which is the theme of this CD. He is still active and performs in a local restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California and was recently on television. He composed "The Sultan" in New York in the 50's in his late teens and he has actually worked with some of the musicians who are featured on the album (who of course were quite a bit older). "The Sultan" was also chosen as background music for an episode of a very popular Soap Opera in Greece "Lampsi." This CD "MOURMOURIKA" is an excellent collection of a style of music that was in a world of its own, back in the 1900's to about the late 1950's. I recommend it highly, especially to music historians. Here's to you Nick.

This CD contains a good selection of rare tracks by well known and rather more obscure singers of the rebetiko idiom. The sound quality is very good considering the age of some of the recordings. If you know rebetika already, this CD will increase your knowledge, if you are new to the music, it provides a good introduction. All in all a must have.

When one travels in Greece it is very hard to find true Rembetica music. When asked where this style of music is to be found, most Greeks will send you to the nearest taverna to hear the loud, raucous, popular music that is now called rembetica by so many. For the afficianado who wishes to hear the real thing, this CD is the perfect fix. It is the best of the real rembetica singers of the 1930s to 1950 and will give the listener a true felling for the music of those times in the Greek tavernas. Acoustic, simple, clear, and totally authentic - pure Greek gold!

This CD has some very interesting string instrument sounds, and poignant vocals. Totally worth it if you like discovering new sounds and styles.

This is an extremely unique complilation of soem VERY rare pieces in incredibly clean condition. For a beginner, this may seem daunting but some of these cuts will never be reissued again. For the advanced student, this is an opportunity to hear pieces you have only dreamed about. To the expert, congratulations once again are due to Rounder records for some incredibly rare pieces and very interesting liner notes.

It's the first time I gonad write something like this... It's to bad to be true...